Question

Why magnet attracts some metal and not some metal?

Answer 1

dear student,

Magnetism is based on electron spins. There are two electron spin directions clockwise and anti clockwise. If you look at the electronic configuration some are fully filled electron blocks and some are partially filled electron blocks. Fully filled has both spins and gets cancelled causing with no net spin and no magnetism. Partially filled has only one spin direction with net spin causing magnetism. This occurs for monovalent atoms. For divalent atoms, even though they have partially filled blocks and has a net spin as a single atom, they get cancelled when they pair to form divalent atom.

regards
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